Is closing file descriptor and removing inotify watch really necessary?

Question

With python inotifyx, do I have to remove watch and close opened system file descriptor if I need them until program exit? E.g. is there some possible problems if I create one (file descriptor + watch) with each run and don't close it?

Answer 1

The kernel stores watches as full paths, so closing the watch is preferable, it also takes unnecessary work off of VFS. As for the file descriptor, that would depend on how many others you had opened.

Kind of like a phone call, its nice to tell the other party that you have stopped listening, hanging up the phone is optional, but conventional. If you need it for something, keep it.

Answer 2

It's always a good idea to release resources (e.g. free memory, close file descriptors, waitpid(2) on child processes, etc) whenever you're done using them. Being lazy and letting the operating system take care of it for you when you exit is a sure way to cause bugs in the future.